(July 4, 2025, CFGF) Jim Hart, a long-serving and distinguished former vice-chairman of the County’s Board of Zoning Appeals as well as a former member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission, where he served as Commissioner-at-large, has been a vocal critic of the pace of data center development in Fairfax County.
On this steamy July 4 holiday, he posted a message to a group of about 50 county residents active in civic organizations, land use issues, and civic community advocacy about a growing environmental threat posed by data centers and their effects on air quality. Hart observed in his email message that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) listed the day’s air quality in Northern Virginia as a Code Orange Day on its website. DEQ classifies the day’s air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups and advises these individuals to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
Hart suggested that the problem is with the particulates in the air that can cause severe health problems. He noted that his community has gone out briefly once already today and cautioned that when the power grid is overworked by high demand and/or by extremes in temperatures, data centers may need to run the diesel generators to maintain service. The fumes produced by diesel exhaust foul the air and contain various harmful substances, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and various volatile organic compounds, some of which are known carcinogens.
The proliferation of data centers with diesel generators will continue to be a problem for air quality in the area. When the air quality is bad and when the power grid is maxed out, something has to give, Hart opined.
Unfortunately, data centers are a by-right use in Fairfax County in certain zoning districts, and there are no development conditions on by-right uses, so that environmental conflict is likely going to intensify.
Data center development is continuing at a fast pace in Northern Virginia. They are becoming larger and growing in scale to accommodate increasing demands fueled by technology. Although it has fewer data centers than neighboring Loudoun and Prince William Counties, there are still plans underway to build more facilities in Fairfax County. When the business and industrial sites reach capacity, there is a likelihood that future growth of data centers in our area may result in calls by developers for upzoning of land zoned for retail business or even residential areas. A 2024 Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study (JLARC) reported “Trends in real estate availability and facility design increase the likelihood of future residential impacts… As the industry’s footprint in Northern Virginia grows, the amount of land ideal for data center development is decreasing, and developers are more likely to consider locations closer to residential and other sensitive areas”. The JLARC report also found that currently, 55% of Fairfax County’s 20 data centers are within 200 feet of residential zones, and 70% are within 500 feet.
Data center developers are pushing the limits to establish their projects in the county, as we have observed in the ongoing battle between residents of the BrenMar community in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. That community waged an unsuccessful battle to oppose the approval of a data center to be built within close proximity to its residences and adjoining resource protection areas.
Air quality caused by power generation and the sight of a looming monolith rising above a residential neighborhood are raising concerns of many residents in Northern Virginia. But another impact is being felt by the state’s energy infrastructure and the environmental effects produced by the energy demands of data centers. In 2023, Kevin J. Coyle, former counsel to the President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, wrote that between Loudoun and Prince William County, there were already 40 million square feet of data centers in operation, handling some 40% of the world’s Internet traffic and storage. He wrote that each data center burns enough electricity to power 40,000 to 80,000 homes.
There are 56 data centers currently under construction in Northern Virginia, according to Baxtel, (Baxtel is a platform for data center research, advisory, and procurement with 25,000 monthly users. They provide key industry data and map out the data center industry, including sites under development.) with an additional 5,500 MW of capacity in the planning stages, with much of it already pre-leased. Northern Virginia has surpassed 4,900 megawatts of data center capacity, making it the largest in the world.
There are 518 existing data center facilities in Northern Virginia, according to Baxtel. The power drawn from all of these centers, once online, will be the equivalent of doubling the current electricity demand for the entire State of Virginia.
Against the increasing community concerns over energy and water resource consumption, and the growing environmental impacts involving air quality caused by data centers, industry is balancing a global demand for increased computing power and developing strategies to navigate community opposition and government regulation. Engaged citizens should be prepared for what the future holds.